Magnetic field generation with thermovoltaic cooling

ABSTRACT

An apparatus can comprise a DC power supply to generate a DC electrical signal, a pulse generator to generate an electrical pulse, and an electrical element. The pulse generator and the DC power supply can be electrically coupled together. The electrical element can receive the DC electrical signal and the electrical pulse. The electrical element can generate a magnetic field in response to receiving the DC electrical signal and cool in response to receiving the electrical pulse.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/152,321, filed Oct. 4, 2018, which claims priority from U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/568,244, filed Oct. 4, 2017, and fromU.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/137,338 filed Sep. 20, 2018, whichapplications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD

This invention relates to magnetic field generation. More specifically,this invention relates to magnetic field generation with thermovoltaiccooling.

BACKGROUND

Electronic circuits can be used to generate magnetic fields for variousapplications (e.g., motors). This type of circuit typically generatesheat during operation, which can limit the strength of magnetic fieldsthat can be generated. For example, current limits are typicallyestablished to ensure the circuit does not overheat. Cooling the circuitcan increase the circuit's ability to receive additional current andcreate a stronger magnetic field.

SUMMARY

The following disclosure relates to improvements in magnetic fieldgeneration. The embodiments disclosed herein provide methods andapparatus for magnetic field generation with thermovoltaic cooling.

In one representative embodiment, an apparatus can comprise a DC powersupply to generate a DC electrical signal, a pulse generator to generatean electrical pulse, and an electrical element. The pulse generator andthe DC power supply can be electrically coupled together. The electricalelement can be configured to receive the DC electrical signal and theelectrical pulse. The electrical element can be configured to generate amagnetic field in response to receiving the DC electrical signal and tocool in response to receiving the electrical pulse.

In any of the disclosed embodiments, cooling the electrical element canincrease the capacity of the electrical element to receive DC current.In any of the disclosed embodiments, the electrical element can comprisean inductive element. In any of the disclosed embodiments, theelectrical element can have an inductance of greater than 1 nH. In anyof the disclosed embodiments, the pulse generator can be configured togenerate an electrical pulse that has a change in voltage with respectto time of at least 100 volts per second.

In any of the disclosed embodiments, the apparatus can further comprisean energy recovery element coupled to the electrical element. Theelectrical element can be configured such that when it receives theelectrical pulse, it converts heat into electrical energy that isreceived by the energy recovery element. In any of the disclosedembodiments, an output of the energy recovery element can be coupled tothe DC power supply.

In any of the disclosed embodiments, the DC electrical signal and theelectrical pulse can be combined by applying the DC electrical signaland the electrical pulse to opposed windings of a transformer. Forexample, one of the DC electrical signal and the electrical pulse can beapplied to the primary winding of the transformer and the other of theDC electrical signal and the electrical pulse can be applied to thesecondary winding of the transformer. In any of the disclosedembodiments, one of the electrical element and the recovery element cancomprise the primary winding of a transformer and the other of theelectrical element and the recovery element can comprise the secondarywinding of the transformer.

In another representative embodiment, an apparatus can comprise a DCpower supply to generate a DC electrical signal, a first electricalelement coupled to the DC power supply, a pulse generator to generate anelectrical pulse, and a second electrical element. The first electricalelement can be configured to receive the DC electrical signal andgenerate a magnetic field in response to receiving the DC electricalsignal. The second electrical element can be configured to receive theelectrical pulse and cool in response to receiving the electrical pulse.The first electrical element can be thermally coupled to the secondelectrical element such that when the second electrical element iscooled, the first electrical element is cooled.

In any of the disclosed embodiments, the second electrical element canbe configured to convert heat into electrical energy in response toreceiving the electrical pulse. In any of the disclosed embodiments, theapparatus can further comprise an energy recovery element to store theelectrical energy generated by the second electrical element receivingthe electrical pulse. In any of the disclosed embodiments, theelectrical energy generated by the second electrical element can beapplied to the DC power supply.

In any of the disclosed embodiments, the apparatus can further comprisean oscillator connected to the electrical element. In any of thedisclosed embodiments, the apparatus can further comprise a primaryoscillator and a secondary oscillator connected to the electricalelement.

In another representative embodiment, a method can comprise generating aDC electrical signal, generating an electrical pulse, combining the DCelectrical signal and the electrical pulse into a combined electricalsignal having a DC electrical signal component and an electrical pulsecomponent, and applying the combined electrical signal to an electricalelement. The electrical element can be configured to generate a magneticfield in response to receiving the DC electrical signal component and tocool in response to receiving the electrical pulse component.

In any of the disclosed embodiments, the electrical element can comprisean inductive element. In any of the disclosed embodiments, the methodcan further comprise applying electrical energy generated by theelectrical element in response to receiving the electrical pulse to apower supply that generates the DC electrical signal.

The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of theinvention will become more apparent from the following detaileddescription, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary magnetic field generator.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of another exemplary magnetic field generatorthat includes an energy recovery element.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing further details of the energy recoveryelement of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of another exemplary magnetic field generator.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of another exemplary magnetic field generator.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of another exemplary magnetic field generator.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of another exemplary magnetic field generatorthat includes an oscillator.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of another exemplary magnetic field generatorthat includes a primary oscillator and a secondary oscillator.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of another exemplary magnetic field generatorthat includes a microprocessor.

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary method of operating the magnetic fieldgenerator of FIGS. 1-9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure concerns embodiments of magnetic field generators withthermovoltaic cooling. Magnetic field generation is useful for a varietyof applications such as electric motors, magnetic imaging, etc. A devicefor generating a magnetic field can include a coil or solenoid in whicha conductor (e.g., a copper wire) is wound around a core (e.g., an aircore, an iron core). Each turn of the winding around the core can createa magnetic field such that the overall magnetic field strength generatedby device is proportional to the number of turns in the winding. Themagnetic field strength of the device is also proportional to the amountof current passed through the coil.

As current is passed through the coil of a magnetic field device, thecoil becomes heated due to Joule heating. As the current through thecoil is increased, the temperature of the coil increases. At a certaintemperature, the coil may no longer function properly due tooverheating, which can inhibit the ability of the coil to carryincreased current or can cause the coil to physically degrade. Inaddition, as the temperature of the coil rises, its resistance mayincrease, further reducing its ability to carry increased current. Thus,the strength of the magnetic field that can be generated by the deviceis limited by the amount of heating the coil can undergo before breakingdown or losing functionality.

This overheating problem can be mitigated by insulating the coil orusing a heavier gauge wire that can carry more current beforeoverheating becomes a problem. However, each of these solutionsincreases the diameter of the coil, which thereby limits the number ofturns per unit volume that the winding of the coil can comprise, andlimits the strength of the magnetic field that can be generated. Othermore elaborate methods of cooling the coil can greatly increase the costof operating the device. Accordingly, what is needed is a way to reducethe temperature of a coil. Apparatus and methods for accomplishing thisgoal are disclosed herein.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a magnetic field generation system ofcircuit 100. The circuit 100 comprises a DC power supply 102, a pulsegenerator 104, and an electrical element 106. The DC power supply 102can generate a constant direct current (DC) current. The DC power supply102 can comprise a battery, a capacitor, an operational amplifier(op-amp), or other sources that can output a DC current. The electricalelement 106 can comprise a device that generates a magnetic field when aDC current is applied to it. In the illustrated embodiment, theelectrical element 106 is an inductor comprising a wire wound into acoil around a core. As the DC current from the DC power supply 102passes through the inductor 106, a magnetic field is generated. Thestrength of the magnetic field is proportional to the strength of the DCcurrent and the number of windings in the coil. The amount of DC currentoutput by the DC power supply 102 can vary depending on the applicationfor which the circuit 100 is used. Most motors require a DC output of0.1-10 A. Electric cars can require 100-1000 A. As explained above, asthe DC current passes through the inductor 106, it increases intemperature due to Joule heating and the magnetic field strength thatcan be generated by the circuit 100 is limited by this heating.

The pulse generator 104 can be a device that generates an electricalpulse. In some embodiments, the pulse generator 104 can generate acontinuous stream of electrical pulses at periodic intervals. Ideally,the pulse generator 104 generates an electrical pulse in which thevoltage output by the pulse generator increases rapidly over a shortperiod of time. This could be done with a square wave with a short risetime, or a sine wave, a saw-tooth wave, or similar output voltage wavewith a high frequency. The circuit 100 can function with a pulse outputby the pulse generator 104 having a dV/dt ratio (e.g., a change involtage over a period of time) as small as 100 V/s. However, the pulsegenerator 104 can output a pulse having a dV/dt of at least 100 V/μs oreven 10,000 to 100,000 V/μs or higher.

When the pulse generator 104 outputs an electrical pulse having a highdV/dt ratio, the inductor 106 converts thermal energy to electricalenergy and cools, as described herein. When the electrical pulse outputby the pulse generator 104 with a high dV/dt ratio is applied to oneside of the inductor 106, the electrical element gets colder and avoltage appears on the other side the electrical element with a higherpower level than what was produced by the pulse generator. As such, thesharp pulse output by the pulse generator 104 causes the inductor 106 toconvert thermal energy into electrical energy, thereby cooling theinductor. The higher the dV/dt ratio of the pulse output by the pulsegenerator 104, the greater the amount of thermal energy will beconverted to electrical energy, and the more the inductor 106 will becooled. This phenomena can be referred to as Kinetic Power Transient(KPT).

In motor driving, the instantaneous aspect of the electrical drive canbe considered to be a DC signal relative to the rate of change in themagnetic field. Thus, although the “drive” may appear to be an AC signalwith current reversals, the actual magnetic field and its effect is a DCphenomenon. The KPT effect described above can be applied on a timescale such that the conversion of heat from Joule heating in theinductor 106 to electrical energy is converted at such a rate as toprovide cooling of the inductor. Externally, this signal for the KPTeffect to occur may be thought of as an AC signal as well as the ACdrive signal. However, on the shorter time scale where the coolingactually occurs, it is modeled adequately by DC.

As shown in FIG. 1, the outputs of the DC power supply 102 and the pulsegenerator 104 are combined. The amplitude of the electrical pulsesoutput by the pulse generator 104 can be smaller than the amplitude ofthe voltage output by the DC power supply 102. In the illustratedembodiment, the amplitude of the pulses generated by the pulse generator104 is between 1-10% of the amplitude of the DC voltage of the powersupply 102. Furthermore, the inductor 106 is generally slow to respondto these pulses, particularly if the pulses have a high frequency, anarrow pulse-width, or if the inductor has a high inductance. In theillustrated embodiment, the inductance of the inductor 106 can be atleast 1 nH or lower but can be greater than 400 In the illustratedembodiment, the output of the pulse generator 104 has a frequency of atleast 2 kHz and can be between 1-5 MHz. For all these reasons, themagnetic field caused by the DC current from the DC power supply 102passing through the inductor 106 may be altered slightly by the pulsesoutput by the pulse generator 104 but is largely undisturbed.

In the illustrated embodiment, the pulses output by the pulse generator104 have a positive voltage. However, in some embodiments, the output ofthe pulse generator 104 can be negative for at least part of the pulse.In the illustrated embodiment, the combined output signal of the DCpower supply 102 and the pulse generator 104 is a positive voltage withperturbations around the DC output of the supply 102. However, in someembodiments, the combined output of the DC power supply 102 and thepulse generator 104 can be negative during certain periods of time if aportion of a pulse output by the pulse generator has a negative voltagegreater than the positive voltage of the DC power supply.

If the pulse generator 104 continually outputs electrical pulses atperiodic intervals, the inductor 106 continually converts thermal energyto electrical energy and cools with each pulse. This reduces thetemperature increase of the inductor 106 caused by the DC current fromthe DC power supply 102. This, in turn, allows the current from the DCpower supply 102 to be increased without overheating the inductor 106.Accordingly, this allows the system 100 to generate a magnetic field ofgreater strength than would be possible in a system without the presenceof the pulse generator 104. Alternatively, the system 100 can be used togenerate a magnetic field from an inductor 106 comprising a smallergauge wire than would be necessary to generate the same strengthmagnetic field in a system without the presence of the pulse generator104. This can reduce the cost and size of the circuit 100 compared toother circuits that are able to generate a comparable magnetic field.

The amount of cooling of the inductor 106 that can be achieved by thepulse generator 104 depends on the dV/dt ratio of the pulses output bythe pulse generator, as well as other factors including the gauge of thewire that comprises the inductor 106. In some embodiments, the amount ofJoule heating of the inductor 106 caused by the DC current output by theDC power supply 102 is exactly cancelled out by the cooling caused bythe output of the pulse generator 104. In these embodiments, theinductor 106 generates a magnetic field without increasing itstemperature at all and the circuit 100 can be thought of as analogous toa superconductor.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of another magnetic fieldgeneration circuit 200. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the circuit 200includes the DC power supply 102 and the pulse generator 104 whoseoutput is combined and applied to the inductor 106. As with the exampleof FIG. 1, the output of the DC power supply 102 causes the inductor 106to generate a magnetic field and the output of the pulse generator 104causes the inductor 106 to cool, thereby increasing the capacity of theinductor to receive additional current from the DC power supply 102 andgenerate additional magnetic field strength without overheating. Inaddition, the circuit 200 includes an energy recovery element 202 inparallel with the inductor 106.

As explained above, the KPT effect that occurs when the inductorreceives an electrical pulse from the pulse generator 104 having a highdV/dt ratio not only causes the inductor 106 to cool but also causes theinductor to convert thermal energy into electrical energy, therebycreating a voltage across the inductor having greater electrical energythan the combined energy output by the DC power supply 102 and the pulsegenerator 104. In circuit 200, this extra energy is tapped by the energyrecovery element 202. In some embodiments, the energy recovery element202 stores this generated electrical energy (e.g., in a capacitor orbattery). In other embodiments, this extra energy created is fed backinto the DC power supply 102 to help power the supply. In theseembodiments, the Joule heating of the inductor 106 is used to at leastpartially power the circuit 200, thereby reducing the power requirementsand increasing the efficiency of the circuit.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary embodiment of another magnetic fieldgeneration circuit 300. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the circuit 300includes the DC power supply 102, the pulse generator 104, the inductor106 and the energy recovery element 202. In circuit 300, the energyrecovery element 202 comprises a rectifier 302, and capacitors 304, 306.The capacitors 304, 306 can remove the excess alternating current (AC)component from inductor 106 without interrupting the flow of DC current.The rectifier 302 can convert any AC power to DC and output only DCpower. In some embodiments, the rectifier 302 can be omitted and theenergy recovery 302 can output AC power. Although the energy recoveryelement 202 is shown tapped at a positive side of the inductor 106, itcan be coupled to a negative side of the inductor.

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary embodiment of another magnetic fieldgeneration circuit 400. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the circuit 400includes the DC power supply 102, the pulse generator 104, the inductor106 and the rectifier 302. The output of the pulse generator 104 can becoupled to a coil 310 and the output of the DC power supply 102 can becoupled to a coil 312. The coils 310, 312 can be wrapped around a core314 (e.g., an iron core) such that they comprise the primary andsecondary windings of a transformer, thereby combining the outputs ofthe DC power supply 102 and the pulse generator 104.

The circuit 400 can further include a coil 304 and a core 306. Theinductor 106 and the coil 304 can be wrapped around the core 306 tocomprise a transformer that couples the inductor 106 to the coil 304.This allows the energy generated from the KPT effect by the inductor 106to be transferred to the coil 304. The rectifier 302 can then convertthis energy to DC and store or output this voltage. In some embodiments,this electrical energy can be input back to the DC power supply 102 asdiscussed above in connection with FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary embodiment of another magnetic fieldgeneration circuit 500. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the circuit 500includes the DC power supply 102, the pulse generator 104, the inductor106, and the coil 304. In the circuit 500, the DC power supply 102supplies DC current to the inductor 106 to generate a magnetic field.The pulse generator 104 outputs electrical pulses, as described above,that cause the coil 304 to convert thermal energy to electrical energyby the KPT effect, thereby cooling the coil as described above. Theinductor 106 and the coil 304 can be thermally coupled such that heatcan be transferred from the inductor 106 to the coil 304. In theillustrated embodiment, the inductor 106 and the coil 304 can bethermally coupled by being wrapped around the same core. In otherembodiments, the inductor 106 and the coil 304 can share a thermallyconductive material that allows heat transfer between them or they canbe positioned such that they can radiate heat between them. Thus, as theinductor 106 heats up from Joule heating, the coil 304 will be cooled bythe KPT effect. As such, a temperature gradient exists between theinductor 106 and the coil 304. And because the inductor 106 and the coil304 are thermally coupled, heat transfers from the inductor 106 to thecoil 304, thereby cooling the inductor. This allows for additionalcurrent to be applied to the inductor 106 without overheating, therebyallowing for a stronger magnetic field to be generated by the inductor.

In addition, as explained above, the KPT effect causes the coil 304 togenerate excess electrical power compared to the electrical power outputby the pulse generator 104. In some embodiments, this excess electricalenergy is applied to the DC power supply 102 to help power the DC powersupply.

FIG. 6 shows an exemplary embodiment of another magnetic fieldgeneration circuit 600. The circuit 600 is the same as the circuit 500except that the circuit 600 includes an energy recovery element or load602. As explained above, the KPT effect causes the coil to generateelectrical energy greater than the electrical energy output by the pulsegenerator 104. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 6, this excessenergy is stored by the energy recovery element 602. In someembodiments, this excess energy is applied to a load rather than beingstored.

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary embodiment of another magnetic fieldgeneration circuit 700. The circuit 700 is the same as the circuit 600of FIG. 6 except that the circuit 700 includes an oscillator 702 coupledin series with the pulse generator 104 and the coil 304. The oscillator702 can be a harmonic oscillator and can output a periodic oscillatingvoltage when triggered by the pulse output by the pulse generator 104.Once triggered by a pulse output by the pulse generator 104, theoscillator 702 outputs a periodic signal to the coil 304. The strengthof the signal output by the oscillator 702 decreases over time. However,each subsequent pulse output by the pulse generator 104 starts a newoscillation cycle. Thus, the oscillator 702 can be used to extend theamount of time that an input signal is supplied to the coil 304, evenwhen the pulse generator 104 outputs a pulse having a very short pulsewidth.

In operation, the pulse generator 104 of FIG. 7 periodically outputselectrical pulses having a high dV/dt ratio. Each pulse can cause theoscillator 702 to output an oscillating signal to the coil 304. The coil304 can cool and convert thermal energy into electrical energy toincrease the power of the electrical signal it receives. Heat can betransferred from the inductor 106 to the coil 104 to provide additionalthermal energy for the electrical element to convert to electricalenergy. The signal with increased power can then be stored or consumedby the energy recovery element 602.

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary embodiment of another magnetic fieldgeneration circuit 800. The circuit 800 is the same as the circuit 700of FIG. 7 except that the circuit 800 includes a primary oscillator 802and a secondary oscillator 804 rather than a single oscillator 702. Theprimary oscillator 802 can be similar to the oscillator 702 of FIG. 7.The secondary oscillator 804 can be configured such that when theprimary oscillator 802 outputs an oscillating signal in response to apulse from the pulse generator 104, the secondary oscillator 804 outputsa resonant oscillating signal having a higher frequency than theoscillating signal output by the primary oscillator 802. As such, thesecondary oscillator 804 can magnify the signal applied to the coil 304.Like previous embodiments, the electrical energy output to the energyrecovery element 602 is greater than the electrical energy output by thepulse generator 104. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 8, theprimary oscillator 802 and the secondary oscillator 804 are showncoupled in series between the pulse generator 104 and the coil 304.Other configurations can also can be used, such as positioning the coil304 between the primary and secondary oscillators 802, 804.

FIG. 9 shows another exemplary embodiment of a magnetic field generationcircuit 900. The circuit 900 is similar to the circuit 600 of FIG. 6except that the pulse generator 104 is replaced by different circuitelements including a microprocessor 902, switches 904, 906, andcapacitor 910. The circuit 900 can include a first switch 904 and asecond switch 906 that can be controlled by the microprocessor 902. Themicroprocessor 902 can independently open and close the switches 904,906. The first switch 904 can be connected to a power supply 908 and thesecond switch 906 can be connected to ground. The switches 904, 906 canbe in parallel and can be connected to a capacitor 910. Themicroprocessor 902 can alternatingly open and close the switches 904,906 so as to output a square wave. During a first time interval, themicroprocessor 902 can close switch 904 and open switch 906. This causesthe voltage from the power supply 908 to be applied to the capacitor910, thereby causing a positive voltage to accumulate on one plate ofthe capacitor. During a second time interval, the microprocessor 902 canopen the switch 904 and close the switch 906. This grounds the capacitor910, thereby causing a negative voltage to appear on the capacitorplate. This process can then be continued, with the microprocessor 908repeatedly opening one of the switches 904, 906 and closing the otherone, thereby producing an alternating series of positive and negativevoltages to appear on each plate of the capacitor 910. Thus, the voltageoutput by the capacitor 910 is a square wave with a high dV/dt ratio. Insome examples, the switches 904, 906 can be replaced with transistors(e.g., CMOS transistors).

FIG. 10 is a flowchart outlining an example method of operating amagnetic field generation circuit with thermovoltaic cooling as can beperformed in certain examples of the disclosed technology. For example,the depicted method can be performed by the circuit 100 and thedescription below is directed to FIG. 1, although other embodiments canbe used.

At process block 1010, the DC power supply 102 generates a DC electricalsignal. At process block 1020, the pulse generator 104 generates anelectrical pulse. At process block 1030, the DC signal output by the DCpower supply 102 and the electrical pulse output by the pulse generator104 are combined. Combining the signal results in a single signal havinga DC signal component and an electric pulse component. At process block1040, the combined signal is applied to the inductor 106 to generate amagnetic field. Because of the KPT effect, the inductor 106 is cooledsuch that a higher current level can be applied to the inductor withoutoverheating, thereby generating a stronger magnetic field than wouldotherwise be possible without the KPT effect.

In view of the many possible embodiments to which the principles of thedisclosed invention may be applied, it should be recognized that theillustrated embodiments are only preferred examples of the invention andshould not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention. Rather, thescope of the invention is defined by the following claims. We thereforeclaim as our invention all that comes within the scope of these claims.

We claim:
 1. A method comprising: generating a DC electrical signal;generating an electrical pulse; combining the DC electrical signal andthe electrical pulse into a combined electrical signal having a DCelectrical signal component and an electrical pulse component; andapplying the combined electrical signal to an electrical element;wherein the electrical element is configured to generate a magneticfield in response to receiving the DC electrical signal component, andwherein the electrical element is configured to cool in response toreceiving the electrical pulse component.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the electrical element comprises an inductive element.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: applying electrical energygenerated by the electrical element in response to receiving theelectrical pulse to a power supply that generates the DC electricalsignal.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: applyingelectrical energy generated by the electrical element in response toreceiving the electrical pulse to an energy recovery element.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: applying electrical energygenerated by the electrical element in response to receiving theelectrical pulse to a load.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein thecombining the DC electrical signal and the electrical pulse into acombined electrical signal comprises applying one of the DC electricalsignal and the electrical pulse to a primary winding of a transformer,and applying the other of the DC electrical signal and the electricalpulse to the secondary winding of the transformer.
 7. The method ofclaim 1, wherein a portion of the electrical pulse has a change involtage with respect to time of at least 100 volts per second.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, wherein an amplitude of the electrical pulsegenerated by the pulse generator is between 1-10% of an amplitude of theDC electrical signal.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the electricalpulse is one in a series of continuous electrical pulses generated by apulse generator.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the DC electricalsignal is generated by a DC power supply, and the electrical pulse isgenerated by a pulse generator, and wherein the DC power supply iscoupled in parallel to the pulse generator.
 11. The method of claim 10,further including generating a periodic oscillating voltage in responseto the electrical pulse, wherein the periodic oscillating voltagecontributes to the cooling of the electrical element.
 12. A methodcomprising: generating a DC electrical signal; applying the DCelectrical signal to a first electrical element; generating anelectrical pulse; and applying the electrical pulse to a secondelectrical element; wherein the first electrical element is configuredto generate a magnetic field in response to receiving the DC electricalsignal; wherein the second electrical element is configured to cool inresponse to receiving the electrical pulse; and wherein the firstelectrical element is thermally coupled to the second electrical elementsuch that when the second electrical element is cooled, the firstelectrical element is cooled.
 13. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising applying electrical energy generated by the second electricalelement in response to receiving the electrical pulse to an energyrecovery element.
 14. The method of claim 12, further comprisingapplying electrical energy generated by the second electrical element inresponse to receiving the electrical pulse to a power supply thatgenerates the DC electrical signal.
 15. A method, comprising: generatinga DC electrical signal using a DC power supply; generating a continuousstream of electrical pulses using a pulse generator; combining the DCelectrical signal and the electrical pulses into a combined electricalsignal; and applying the combined electrical signal to an electricalelement; wherein the electrical element is configured to cool inresponse to receiving the combined electrical signal.
 16. The method ofclaim 15, wherein an amplitude of the electrical pulse generated by thepulse generator is between 1-10% of an amplitude of the DC electricalsignal.
 17. The method of claim 15, further including an oscillatorcoupled in series with the pulse generator, wherein the oscillator isresponsive to the pulse generator to generate a periodic oscillatingvoltage.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein each of the electricalpulses generates a new oscillation cycle of the periodic oscillatingvoltage.
 19. The method of claim 17, wherein the periodic oscillatingvoltage contributes to cool the electrical element.
 20. The method ofclaim 15, wherein the pulse generator and the DC power supply arecoupled to opposing windings of an inductor.